French President Emmanuel Macron re-appoints Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who quit four days ago

The appointment is sure to anger the right-wing National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, after it demanded elections and said it would oppose any budget deal from Macron or his allies.

Party leaders held talks with Macron on Friday but could not agree on major policies or a new prime minister.

Some warned that another prime minister chosen from the ranks of Macron’s fragile centrist camp would risk being rejected by parliament’s powerful lower house, prolonging the crisis.

“How can all this be expected to end well?” Marine Tondelier, leader of the Ecologists party, said: “The impression we get is that the lonelier he is, the more rigid he becomes.”

Lecornu signaled some reluctance to return to duty by posting a statement online in France on Friday night (Saturday, AEDT).

“I accept, out of duty, the mission given to me by the President to provide France with a budget until the end of the year and to do everything possible to solve the daily life problems of our citizens,” he said in the statement.

“We must put an end to this political crisis that infuriates the French people, this instability that harms France’s image and interests.”

Lecornu laid out four conditions for restoring stability in the new government, starting with a commitment to a full parliamentary debate on next steps, possibly including the budget.

The second condition emphasized the importance of agreement on the budget, which was blocked in parliament due to disagreements over tax increases or spending cuts.

“Restoring our public finances remains a priority for our future and our sovereignty: no one will be able to escape this necessity,” he said.

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A third condition was that anyone who joined the government as a minister would have to give up their ambition to run for president in 2027. This would likely exclude party leaders or other key figures vying to replace Macron, who is in his second term and cannot run again.

In his fourth condition, Lecornu said: “The new government team must embody innovation and diversity of skills.”

The proposals are a departure from the ministry Lecornu named last Sunday, in which he took most of the staff from the previous ministry but allocated different portfolios. This ministry collapsed when he resigned the next morning.

The National Rally and its allied parties hold 138 seats in the National Assembly, making them the largest bloc; The Ensemble coalition loyal to Macron has only 91 seats. France: The Indomitables have 71 seats, the Socialists have 66 and the Greens have 38 seats.

French politics has become increasingly unstable since Macron’s re-election in 2022, leaving the national assembly without any party or coalition with a majority.

The decision to call early parliamentary elections last year deepened the crisis, producing an even more fragmented parliament.

National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said in a statement after Lecornu’s resignation: “There can be no return to stability without returning to the polls and dissolving the National Assembly.” he said.

Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure offered to negotiate a compromise but wanted the next prime minister to be elected from the left; Macron rejected this option.

Socialists want a 2 percent wealth tax on France’s richest 0.01 percent; It’s a measure that appears to have strong popular support but would force Macron to accept a policy deeply opposed by conservatives.

with AP

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